Poverty in at least eight States — Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand — was worse than in some of the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
In a week when Delhi's new “world-class” airport opened for business and the Indian Space Research Organisation celebrated the successful launch of five new satellites, we had a stark reminder of another India that, increasingly, many Indians feel embarrassed to talk about. A United Nations-backed study by Oxford University revealed that poverty in at least eight Indian States — Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand — was worse than in some of the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
The findings are based on a global poverty index, the Multidimensional Poverty Index or MPI, developed by Oxford University. It takes into account a range of social factors not hitherto considered while measuring poverty and will replace the Human Poverty Index (HPI) which, until now, has formed the basis for the annual U.N. Human Development Reports.
How's the new index significantly different from the traditional ways of measuring poverty and how will it make a difference on the ground? Here, Dr. Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), who has travelled extensively in India, speaks to Hasan Suroor:
Were you surprised by the finding that there are more poor people in eight Indian States than in the 26 poorest African states combined?
No, I wasn't really surprised, as the scale of Indian poverty is well known within the academic world —whether measured in income terms or multi-dimensionally. But the recent focus on India's phenomenal growth in the media has given the impression that the largest numbers of very poor people are in Sub-Saharan Africa rather than South Asia (where there are nearly twice as many MPI poor than in Africa). We wanted to test that impression.
To get this comparison, what we did was to set a more extreme poverty cut-off, which identified the Indian States and the African countries whose Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was equal or greater than 0.32 (the MPIs we calculated for 104 countries range from 0 to .64). Eight Indian States and 26 African countries fall below that cutoff. That's where this figure comes from.
To give an idea of what this means, the least poor entry is West Bengal (MPI = 0.32), in which 58 per cent of people are MPI poor, and they are on average deprived in 54 per cent of the dimensions or weighted indicators; in Niger 93 per cent of people are MPI poor.
Actually, the intensity of poverty in Africa is still higher — the population-weighted MPI for the 26 African countries is 0.43, whereas for the Indian States it is 0.39.
How is the new Multidimensional Poverty Index or MPI significantly different from the Human Poverty Index (HPI) that the U.N. uses for its Human Development Report? Doesn't that also take social indicators as the basis for measuring poverty?
The indices share the same motivation, but are totally different. The MPI starts with each person, and looks at their lives and that of their household members, and identifies a person as poor only if they have multiple deprivations. The MPI reflects the intensity of deprivation each person experiences as well as the percentage of people who are poor.
The HPI aggregates percentages of people who are deprived in different things. So it cannot see if all of the HPI indicators affect the same person simultaneously, or if each person only has one deprivation.
This is understandable, because in 1997 when the HPI was developed we did not have the data that is required to construct the MPI. Only recently has it become possible to focus first on each person's life, and build a multidimensional poverty measure from that.
Critics might say that studies such as yours simply end up producing sensational headlines without anything actually changing on the ground? Is there any evidence, for instance, that the Human Poverty Index has helped fight poverty better than the previous measures of poverty?
Our aim is to strengthen the work of many others who are working passionately to stand alongside and empower those who live with suffering and poverty to shape their own destinies. We welcome specific suggestions from others about how better to do this, but it seems that sharing a measure which can show the simultaneous deprivations people face should be a useful tool to others.
Doesn't, ultimately, the good old definition of poverty based on household income and purchasing still remain valid?
Yes. Our measure complements the income and consumption data, and focuses only on very acute indications of poverty. These data come from different surveys, in most cases. It is a matter of enriching the information field. If both measures coincide perfectly, of course, there would be no need for both poverty measures. However from preliminary analysis it seems that they differ quite a bit, even at the level of individual. We need to understand how and why. If a household has a disabled person it may not be income poor but clearly experiences multiple deprivations for example. Or a family may have enough money to be nourished, but actually the children are malnourished. Also, the MPI checks access to certain services directly, whereas income data includes these in a different way. Finally, data in both cases are imperfect, so comparing two different measures can give us a clearer picture.
In the course of your study, did you come across any other surprising trends about India?
We did note that the MPI for different caste groups varies a great deal. The Scheduled Tribes have the highest MPI (0.482), almost the same as Mozambique, and a headcount (the percentage of people who are MPI poor) of 81 per cent. The Scheduled Castes have a headcount of 66 per cent (the percentage of people who are MPI poor) and their MPI is a bit better than Nigeria. Fifty-eight per cent of other Backward Castes are MPI poor. About one in three of the remaining Indian households are multi-dimensionally poor, and their MPI is just below that of Honduras. While this is not a surprise, it is yet another clear indication of the need for interventions that address these social aspects of poverty in India, alongside the direct deprivations.
Keywords: poverty, human development report, UNDP
Comments:
It is a shame to note that eight Indian states are under utter poverty. If the political leaders of our country utilise the power and resources prudently, all could live in dignity.
Politicians use these media to highlight India's masked face but Indians know the real face of India.
Being an Indian I am ashamed to say that India's position will hardly change since corruption overrules India.
So where India is shining now ? Thanks for giving a more clear picture of our country .
A lot of things has been said before also but it results in nothing.
I feel that we the people are to be blamed for this sorry state..
1.The first real problem is,even if there is substantial govt aid,the large population makes it near impossible to reach it the grass root level.
2.Corruption runs deep at each level,and people are not concerned about a lot of things.
3.Lack of education..
4.Here a lot of things is being done on the basis of caste,religion...
ONE THING I KNOW VERY WELL, THIS VERY SITUATION IS GOING TO PREVAI8L IN INDIA AT LEAST IN THE COMING 30 YEARS...
AND AT LAST I WANT TO TELL YOU,I CAME FROM A REGION WHERE PEOPLE EAT MUD TO LIVE.....
For all of those people, who complain about politics and corruption: I want to say that, government is not just a set of elected people. We as citizens are integral part of it, and have a share of duty.
How many of us pay a bribe to a traffic policeman to avoid a challan? Lets not blame any other authority alone. We are also to blame ourselves... many of us complain about education.. but how many of us educated people would actually spare an hour a day and teach some poor people?
Blaming the politicians and system is very easy. Are we doing anything different?
I have to be honest if I want to end corruption.
I must spare time/money to educate the poor boy next door to end poverty & illiteracy,
I have to stop talking and start working
Things will change and are changing for sure dear friends
Accountability is based on a healthy distrust of human nature and a faith that individuals can make a positive difference. I hope that the poor of India will take up arms and demand change.
Strangely, the 'great Indian Middle class' which is devouring and enjoying the newly sought wealth and prosperity, just doesn't care about the poor. It has almost forgotten that it owes something back to the society and especially the needy. Unless, this sense is nurtured, no government efforts could be adequate. On the other hand, the issue of government's policies and its idea of the so called 'Development' is genuine and needs a lot of retrospection. But, above all, the onus is on the Middle class....
Every index tells the same story. What else can be expected from this development strategy. The state is by the rich, of the rich, for the rich. The rich has incorporated the middle class. However, this strategy will ultimately lead to explosive situation, naxlism or no naxalism. Brute force of the state will be used to crush it.
If we call ourselves literate we must put our heads together to fight back. But then we talk big in various forums and hardly act upon it.
We join an elite list of countries with a globally recognisable symbol for our currency.Is it symbolic of India's growing clout in the world?
It is indeed saddening but we Indians have grown up with it.
I would love to see India being called the Golden Bird once again. I appeal to one and all to take time out of their lives and come forward to create an enlightened community.
Many development programs like road expansion also have increased poverty. People moved out from their homes for expansion of roads have gone into joblessness or have businesses closed. Agricultural lands have been lost all over India to roads making many farmers poor and affecting production of food materials. Mass migration from the rural side to urban is already serious producing slums in cities. Growth of cities like Delhi have even deprived millions of drinking water and water for farming....
I agree with the comments of Singh & Saket. Don't blame government. After all, we have elected them, right? So think about your valuable vote and give them right person at the time of election. Teach poor people or if you have no time then give your contribution to any NGO which helps in educating to poor people.
What India has been witnessing since last 5 yrs is a ruthless face of politicians who have amassed money under the guise of public service.
They travel in the best of cars, their family gets to travel across the world and the moment one takes birth in a politicians family his standard of living and his/her profession is all fixed.
When election comes politicains will talk about poverty eradication with their big mouth and in Parliment they will make the policies in favour of the Big Industrialist, They will grab poor people's land without compensating or rehabiliating them. Then they are searching for the reason behind maoist extremism, terrorism etc. Yes "INDIA IS SHINING" for the rich with highest number of mobile connections and highest number of suicide among farmers
The country is not growing in all sectors, the growth is only with certain industries. Cities are growing much faster, towns and villages have nothing. Government should take initiatives to avoid this. IT , Education and other industries should avoid big cities and concentrate on towns and villages. There is report that says by 2050, 70% of the world population will live in cities, imagine the villages in 2050-- they will be deserts. Everything should be made available to the under-privileged so that the country grows.
Why! Is there a problem. Car sales are going up. GDP is almost catching up with double digits. Does not matter if a single Idli costs Eight rupees or a single Vada is Fourteen rupees. Banks are reporting record profits. What we are missing in the big picture?
Do we believe in Zero Sum game. Then do not complain. Do we believe in "save janah sukhino bhavantu" - All people be happy. Then we have work to do. All the so called IT engendered "properity" is the direct result of "cheap" labour. This "cheap" labour needs even cheaper labour to sustain their "prosperity". And it goes on. Where unbridled greed is hailed and admired as legitimate pursuit of adventure and happiness it will hard find concern for happiness for all.
It's fact that the country has not grown most rural areas. Although, country has lots of opportunity to go ahead.
I have a very radical view on the state of India today. The country suffers due to its hypocritical middle class which is largely educated, but unfortunately, only text book educated. Their concept of development is entirely related to tall shopping malls, branded clothes, 3g cell phones, fast bikes and the best laptops available. They can't seem to appreciate concept of a holistic society where most people have the basic needs to survive.
I see, some people want to blame the government and system. Somebody very rightly said "Democracy ensures that people get the government they deserve."
How do expect poverty to end in a country where one class wants to suppress and ride over the miseries of the other class.
Indeed, it is not a surprising outcome! The condition of people here is very bad and for this we educated people must do something. Some people suggested here that educated people must teach poor people.That is a very good idea, but I wish to add further into it. As an educated person, if we understand our responsibilities then such problems would never arise. If you feel you do not have enough time to spend it for others then at least you devote your time to work for yourself, but honestly. Working honestly directly means that you are in some way serving your nation. And there is no necessity to do sth extra. Apart frm this, I feel in our country, there is a need to intensify family planning programmes in order to reduce present birth rate. and that can only happen if we come out of evils in our caste and religion which are entrenched in our society.
It is quite disheartening to note that such large numbers of people are MPI poor. I do not think it will be possible to reduce povety unless human greed is controlled. Mahatma said that "There is enough in this world for everybody's need; but not for his greed!". The insensitivity of the rich is the main problem. Not just the poor countries, but the whole world needs to change as a whole. The big question is HOW?
I can do a similar research with multidimensional variables like "doctor visit", "eating out", "watching movie in movie hall","home ownership", etc and show that Indian middle class has far better living standard than eight top OECD countries. This is nothing but yet another research which can be critiqued. Ask any Indian living overseas and they will tell you how living in India as a middle class is far comfortable compared to living in countries like NZ, Canada or similar countries. Anecdotal evidence is already there, I just need to show it empirically.
A very nice article.
Is the actual construction of the MPI and the findings available for the public to see? It would be interesting to see which districts are the worst off and what is the governance in these districts like. It would also be worth finding out what type of jobs do the poorest of the lot do (agriculture is the best bet, but what type of agriculture? Do they get subsidies? Fertilizer? Irrigation etc.)
we must unite together to lighten the poverty of poor people by participating in various NGO and we must change our present political system,aware the people.unless n until we cannot change our political system and uproot the corrupt people from every section of the society it is not possible to eradicate poverty n misery of the poor.so we must make people aware,educated as far as possible.
We the citizens of India, are in fact responsible for it, we have democracy and we have elected a government which has not been able to live up to its promises. In the end, its only the common man who can be blamed for his problems, because its in the hands of the common man is what lies the power to elect governments.
The research highlights a crucial point - the gap between the rich and poor is increasing in present day India - because of the fact that the policies of liberalisation etc can be utilised only by those who are already well situated. What can it do to alleviate the problems of those who cannot even afford a square meal a day? Unfortunately, the government's(our), middle class's, New channel's concepts of developments are so skewed that the poor and the less well off are often left of the picture. Development has now to come mean GDP growth, not that there are no hungry stomachs. It means banks, industries make record profits. It means roads, ports and industries are built on agricultural lands that have sustained people for generations. It means that the BSE is increasing its index level every year. It does not matter if the society is becoming less humane, losing its core values, its identity, its traditions and alienating its own people.The concept of development is that of high rise malls, 3G phones, fast food joints, endless shopping extravaganza,hedonism, pubs, multiplexes,indulgence in luxuries - not a society which is holistic, which takes care of everyone, which has its emphasis on values. Where is our rich culture and tradition - which laid more emphasis on "Sarve Sukhino Bhavantu"?
We dont need to emulate the West to progress, we should in fact draw our own developmental models, and should not end up where the West is - materially advanced, but morally bankrupt.In today's world, society's well being have been sacrificed at the altar of individual's freedom and comfort, no matter how detrimental it will be.
we need to focus on such a issue of poverty, if we really want to stand firm.
yes I totally agree with India is rich county but Indians are poor, u know why I found the root problem is in ourselves we are not patriotic people or if I go in to more deeper we are unpatriotic its true whether you like it or not ,whether u agree or not its fact .our government officer enjoying the privilege, they wrong using their power, making money & leading corruption and creating big hole inside the India.until & unless we stop we can't be real prosperous.I'm not only criticize only govt. also criticizing ourselves we each and ever Indian excepting few real patriotic though surviving in India for us.its resent survey in India at least 71.3% IIT students go USA and stay their and never come again and rest 29% go other countries of the world they educated here and work for their its wrong, its not only in IIT student in other field also its just because lack of patriotism .I think u understand what the real problem is.
It is easy to talk about the large number of poor people and throw the entire blame on the Government for poverty alleviation. No Government can alleviate poverty - only the poor themselves can lift themselves out of their misery through their own initiative and by taking full advantage of all the facilities offered by the Government, like reservations in education and Government jobs, creating a proper home environment for their children to take to education, subsidized loans, food grains, etc:
Because it is politically incorrect to put accountability on the poor for their own upliftment, the media takes th easy way out and piles on the Government for inaction and worse. And imply that development and modernity has to wait until the "last tear from the eyes of the last poor man" is wiped dry! Time and tide waits for no man! Development and history cannot be held hostage to this absurd proposition. Science and technology offers the greatest hope for poverty alleviation by enabling the poor to communicate better (as with mobile phones), use IT to educate themselves, be aware of developments, enable the Government to accurately target subsidies and services to the poor ..... the list goes on.
I am bit surprised hearing this news that West Bengal is one of the 8 states
Sabina Alkire is an Anglican priest as well as an economist, as reported in her biography. Her CV says that she spent time in Pakistan in the Asia Foundation. As an undergraduate student in USA, she had excelled in Islamic studies. All of this information is on her website. She has a DPhil in Economics, an MSc in Economics for Development and an M.Phil in Christian political ethics from Magdalen College, Oxford.
We need to know more about her background (academic and other) before jumping to conclusions based on sensational headlines grabbed by her reports. She needs to provide evidence for dealing with advanced comparative statistics. What were the tools used in Africa and India for data compilation and reduction? In the US, the interview would automatically dwell into these issues to give a comprehensive picture. Indian interviews seem to gloss over these.
Just before India was a British colony, her total GDP was approximately 24% of the total world GDP. By the time they left, her total GDP was 3.8% of the world.
Technically, India was never one country or empire and thus she is a new country that formed in 1947 on August 15th.
63 Years have passed since she was formed. A country's life is much longer than can be viewed in one person's lifetime and 60 years in country years is basically a new born baby. It took the United States of America 180 years to become the world's largest economy.
Right now, India is taking her baby steps to become a great economy.
Poverty is an universal fact and it's always relative. Sabina has merely tried to prove this point by comparing India with Africa. Now come to the core issue - why we (8 states) are so poor? Just because there is acute mismatch between the population and the resources available for supporting that population. How we can solve this problem? By either slowing down population or mobilizing more resources for the existing population or both. For slowing down the population it needs an iron will on the part of the Educated People of India and for enhancing the resources a different work culture is needed - wealth creation for all. Given the middle class's selfish attitude and high class's indifference towards its fellow citizens, poverty eradication will always remain a drawing room discussion topic for "educated" Indians.
West have done both - negative population growth and cornering the maximum resources of the world.
I do not think, it is very surprising to see this kind of reports and even the comments from readers like me. As many of the users said, did we ever try to eradicate the poverty by doing our share such as voting for genuine guys irrespective of the caste, religion, gender.
I would say only one word for all the problems such as poverty, corruption, high population etc i.e Vote for the best canditate who is free from corrption.
You do not need to teach or need to give back to NGOs..Just vote in very election whether it is munciple or general election and elect good guys.
Every thing will automatically change.. Just do one thing
I.e : Participate and Vote for Right guy in every election. Country will change definitely in various aspects in next 10 years
Kuruvilla writes "Agricultural lands have been lost all over India to roads making many farmers poor and affecting production of food materials."
It seems he is from Kerala. There is a lot of pastoral/farm land lying idle in Kerala. The problem in Kerala is that labor charges are too high to use these lands for traditional agriculture. If you try to use mechanized farm practices you will have trouble from the communist parties. So, you have farm land sitting idle while the food prices are going through the roof. You cannot both complain about high food prices and demand high labor charges. There is a connection.
As Indians we should learn to accept the facts and mistakes first! Once we do this, that is the first step towards the success.
Don't blame others always.
Even though some here argue that the individuals have to do their share to change the society, responsibility goes to our leaders, politicians and bureaucrats for their failure in all our projects, results in an India, which is not at all shining. It is sad that a country with all its tradition, culture and intelligence has not been able to develop. I would suggest the brightest and youngest should lead India and destroy the red tape. Keep everything lean and clean.
We Indians are good at good and bad at bad. When we feel that nothing works out being honest then we do what ever makes us grow, when we are forced to follow rules, we do it.
India is still in the threshold of its development. India will definitely eradicate its poverty but it takes some time. Indian government has to take care about what ever the policies it is taking to eradicate this problem and politicians must change. It is the time to pull their socks. It is clearly shame to the political parties rather than India.
people of these states never saw shining India,they can not boast about IGI,they are striving for there daily bread,when the country is celebrating its gpa.something must be done to bring all indians at the same platform
What is that kind of poverty that refuses to budge even after so much amount of aid that India had received in past? - That is what amazes me
I have been hearing the same studies from year after year since most of study makers live radically from realities. Just look at India 50 years ago and also USA and compare today. India is showing 10% growth and USA in the negative. Some Indians work very hard and others do not want to work. The UP Govt is busy in building statues while Tamil Nadu is busy in full electrification. Let us not forget that when in 1972 I got my MSc in Physics from Madras University, I could not apply for any jobs in my line of study. DMK government asked only one question about my being a Brahmin. I went to become a bank manager in the northern part of India. But today, the picture is very refreshing in TamilNadu due to the same politicians. Only by hard work, we shall see light at the end of tunnel. Till then, heyday for study makers. God save them.
Even citizens don't vote without a bribe. What can the government do?
Over 400 million go hungry in India everyday. And that's why I keep saying that India should focus on feeding the poor and creating jobs for the unemployed. And yet I see articles in the Indian media which boast about how India is ready to spend billions on hosting the Olympics (just to show how it can compete with China). No way - at least not until 2050!
This is no surprise. But its really sad that states like Bihar where Budha was born and had a large library in its history is lying where it is now. It can be attributed to many factors. Mainly, British mass destruction which led to the mass being cut-off from contemporary education in history. Nehrus policies didnt help and it is worsened by the policies of some of the politicians even today.
But we as Indians can only hope for better and that people like Mayavathi stop wasting money on glorifying self..
People and government look for the short term benefits. People get Rs.50 and vote to the politician by forgetting what will be their future for the next 5 years.
Nothing can be changed, unless mind changes.
Open up the national news paper and read the headline first thing in the morning every day. The news reads “Indian states in acute poverty.” Did we all forget that just 60 yrs back we celebrated independence? Are we all failing to remember the struggle and respect the sacrifice of our fore-fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters who have strived hard for a free India? Its disheartening to see this paralyzed state of the country. But immediately do not blame the government's, elected representatives and the supporting institutions. Blame our selfishness and our never-ending Greed. 1000s of years of human civilization is what we are proud of but are turning a blind eye to inhuman civilization of 60 yrs. Probably you may think what a joke, but you and me are the escapist who embraced the globalized markets in India and joined to the 50% rich Indians. Rich Indians - can be defined as human beings accumulating all needs after the meal (roti), clothing (kapda). Sorry house (makan) should not get a place in this period of time of real estate mafias. So you have got three positions to take - Rich, Richer and Richest. 50% of the remaining 1.3 billion our counterparts (family) - poor Indians do not think so. Poor Indians - defined as human beings who cannot afford a nutritious meal even once a day, pure drinking water to drink and fresh air to breath is also out of question as many migrant nomads live in slums and polluted areas. The remaining rural and tribal population are now facing extinction of their sources (water bodies, trees) as their mountains, hills filled with bauxite and iron ore are targeted for mining. Positions (Poor, poorer and poorest of all- downtrodden wretched). They are crying, bleeding, starved, suffering malnutrition and the wrath of the new colonial India. New Colonial India: Multinational companies and also Indian MNCs are now playing the time tested national game of “divide and rule”. The divide between the rich and the poor is increasing in geometric progression every moment in the country.